Feasibility vs. Necessity

Senators Chris Dodd and Hillary Clinton were in New Hampshire this past Wednesday for a sweep of the state and two speeches and events of note. In the greater picture of the election the presentations they made weren't spellbinding, but each represents a larger trend in the campaign cycle.

As part of a roundtable discussion on higher education at the Manchester Community Technical College, Chris Dodd took the opportunity to outline his plans for making college affordable for all Americans. It's part of Dodd's "Middle Class Matters" campaign--one that focuses heavily on education.


In front of a sizable gathering at the MCTC library, Dodd proposed a number of measures to guarantee that more Americans have access to higher education. His proposals included a program in which the federal government would match state college tuition reductions, publish an index of college tuitions that rose above inflation, gradually raise Pell Grants, as well as create government auctions for student loans in an attempt to end profiteering off of student credit. As Dodd engaged in discussion with the assembled panel of students, teachers, and administrators, he was quick to admit that while raising Pell Grants by $100 a year is a step in the right direction, he wishes he could do more.

What Dodd has brought and I hope can continue to bring to this campaign is an optimistic message with a strong backbone of reality. It's easy to get caught up in the pioneering proposals heard throughout the election cycle, but it's often those that admit their imperfections (even the slightest ones) that are the most achievable and encouraging. His speech comes at a time when more and more people are aware of the growing problems with the system of higher education in America and we are increasingly looking for someone to take a stand and fix things.

Fifty miles North, Hillary Clinton was in Rochester, NH to unveil her "Rebuild America Plan." In response to the Minneapolis bridge collapse, the Clinton campaign must have scrambled together some staffers to prepare a hearty response to the problems that the disaster made the public aware of. It was an opportunistic move to use her high profile status to gain an edge on this issue, but she did so with grace and the clarity.


While her words and phrases capture our attention and cause audiences to nod in agreement--"Something is very, very wrong when, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, in the richest country on earth, people are actually nervous about driving over bridges for fear that they’ll collapse. Or they’re worried that their levees may burst, or their highways may buckle"--her numbers may not add up. It's the risk politicians take when they try and stand out on an issue. One can only remember President Bush's plan to put Americans back on the moon and Mars in coming decades and the lack of long-term commitment that the proposal received from his administration.

I sense that a Hillary administration would follow through on an infrastructure overhaul more than space programs, but it is unnerving to read the specifics of her proposal--the numbers she states are pocket change when you're talking about rebuilding an ailing system of roads, bridges, tunnels etc.

One major part of Clinton's address was an Emergency Repair Fund whose funds would renovate or reconstruct among other things, the 60,000 bridges across the country that are "structurally deficient" for $10 billion over 10 years. That figures to nearly $160,000 for each bridge--a figure more often associated with home renovation than critical infrastructure repairs. And we're just talking about bridges...


Her ideas cover a wide range of necessary issues, but I'm dismayed at Clinton's decision to unveil the opportunistic side of a necessary proposal instead of making it clear to Americans what the real costs and sacrifices of charting a dramatic new political course will be.

Both Dodd and Clinton's highlight policy-driven approaches to tackling the '08 campaign--an approach that distinguishes the two from the likes of Barack Obama--but it's the job of us voters to judge the feasibility of the reforms we're promised and the character leaders we're offered.

(all photos: © 2007 by Luke N. Vargas. All Rights Reserved.)

The Highest Grade; John Edwards at NEA 2007

Eight presidential candidates (from the Clintons and Obamas to the Dodds, Bidens, Kucinichs, and a lone Republican, Mike Hukabee) spoke at the annual National Educational Association meeting in Philadelphia this past week. It's comforting to hear the eight speeches delivered, as it seems nearly every politician at the conference understands one of the most obvious problems in education: No Child Left Behind doesn't work at the current levels of funding and support it has received under President Bush.


As you can imagine, so many candidates talking about one topic ensures the repetition of a handful of talking points. One candidate stood out, however.

Senator John Edwards connected a wide range of issues with the problems facing American education today. Among these was the continuing problem of poverty in America (a cause that Edwards has devoted years of his professional and political career to solving), an issue that effects the lives of children both in and outside of school.

Edwards stressed that poverty's impact in education could be reduced through measures that would draw skilled teachers to the most needy schools across the country as well as a proposal that would fund new early-education programs. The idea of promoting early-education ties in with Edward's theory of how students from poorer and less fortunate families will slowly fall behind in school because they entered the system with a disadvantage. Putting an emphasis on early-education and making it available to every American child would allow millions of children to have a better chance of experiencing higher education.

Furthermore, Edwards said that if a student were to enter the education system with lower ability than his or her fellow classmates, but was able to achieve a great deal of progress over the course of his or her time in school, that standardized achievement tests such as those so prominent in No Child Left Behind would not reward individual student's progression over time. When a system only looks at the end result of a school career it doesn't see people as people, it sees people as numbers and test scores.

Edward's quote of the night emphasized that point, "A test does not tell us what we need to do help our children to learn. A child is more than a test score."

With a number of candidates saying the right thing, it's hard to pick winner. But Edwards, despite criticism of his own personal spending and actions, is able to connect the issues of the less fortunate to the policies he understands so well. A+

Huckabee Rocks New Hampshire

The weather may have been iffy at times, but Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Capitol Offense (his band of long-time buddies and Arkansas capitol workers) put on a lively show at the Delta Dental Northeast HQ in Concord, NH.

There's something to be said for a politician who can show off a talent besides speech-delivery and writing; Mike Huckabee's skill on the bass qualifies him as a solid musician who could play at the White House dinners instead of just watching.

It's like Huckabee's philosophy about education: if you can add something new and interesting into the education of a child, be it music or art, it's an opportunity not to be wasted. The same holds true with the constant barrage of campaign stops and bus tours--who wouldn't want to see a Governor play in a rock concert?

In keeping with the picnic-like atmosphere, Huckabee left out the long talks about policy and the presidency. In his words, "we want to prove tonight that you can have a lot of fun being a Republican and supporting Mike Huckabee for President." And with that Mike and the band launched straight into 'Roll Over Beethoven.'

I've got a feeling the rest of this coming primary season won't be as light and fun as Huckabee's concert would make it seem, but hot-dogs, music, and Mike Huckabee sure make for a nice afternoon.

Note: I'll have some video from the concert up later when I'm finished editing it together.


(all photos: © 2007 by Luke N. Vargas. All Rights Reserved.)